1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention are directed to a client-server peer-to-peer goods and/or services delivery system and method. Specifically, aspects of the present invention are directed to creating and maintaining relationships (e.g., of a social, commercial or professional nature) among registered (or otherwise related) peers by means of Internet-enabled mobile devices. Aspects of the present invention provide for the identification of networked peers, and for the delivery of services (professional, commercial or otherwise) by processing and matching, in real time, each peer location (data location) in conjunction with specific individual queries at a given moment in time.
Aspects of the present invention are directed to ranking and displaying results of individual peer queries by calculating degrees of association (i.e., peers in common of a first, second or subsequent degrees) among the query-originating peer and matching peers identified by the system. In accordance with aspects of the present invention, the degrees of association may be determined by examining, in real time, the number of peers of a first or subsequent degrees the query-originating peer has in common with peers identified by the system. Peer ranking also combines the respective data location of the peers (e.g., the geographical proximity among the peers) at a specific moment in time (e.g., at the time the query takes place, at a time specified by the originator of the query, etc.).
2. Background of the Related Art
One problem that exists in the art today is that there is currently no available vehicle for identifying and connecting matching peers to enable the delivery of online services/goods in the “physical world” via Internet-enabled and Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled mobile devices. Specifically, there is currently no available mechanism that allows real-time importing and combining of individual user profiles, the profiles including the geographical position of each peer at a given moment in time, with specific individual queries. For example, there is currently no available method and system that would combine existing online and traditional services (such as Facebook, Plaxo, MySpace, and Yellow Pages, among others) into a single mobile platform that supports the establishment of connections to enable the delivery of goods and/or services among the members of such networks as a function of their geographical position at a specific moment in time, and as a function of specific queries and individual profiles or preferences.
Further, there is currently no available method and system for users of these existing online and traditional service that provide the ability to identify matching peers based on specific queries, in conjunction with their respective geographical location at a specific moment in time, and their suitability and availability to provide the goods/services requested by the querying peer.
Moreover, there is currently no method and system that assigns ranks and/or arranges/displays the results of specific individual peer queries based on the number of associations between the peer querying the system and the matching peers identified by the system. The ranks assigned to the peers identified by the system—and the order in which such peers are displayed—are calculated by taking into consideration the degrees of peer association among the query-originating peer and the peers identified by the system (e.g., the number of peers that the originating peer and the peers identified by the system as a result of the query have in common at first or subsequent degree) in combination with the geographical location of each identified peer with regard to the location of the originator of the query, at a specific moment in time.
In addition, there is currently no available system and method for calculating search results, and modifying their ranks respectively, based on additional criteria including, among other factors, individual user queries or user preferences pertaining to individual peer profiles.
Additionally, there is currently no system and method that provide for identification and display of a limited number of matching peers (e.g., within large population groups) that are likely to be the most relevant individuals sharing common affinities (personal, professional or commercial) with the query-originating peer. As an example, when considering the number of direct or indirect relations among peers, if each peer has, on average, e.g., 100 first degree peers (such as direct “friends” or “contacts”), and if each of these first degree peers has another 100 direct first degree peers, the originator of a specific search query can potentially receive 10,000 hits or results in a single query (1002=10,000). If the search is extended to third or subsequent degree peers (friends of friends of friends . . . ), the search results can theoretically include a list of one million or more hits (1003) and potentially identify one million or more matching individual peers. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and systems that assign ranks to search query results by determining—in real time and taking into account the geographical proximity between the originator and the other peers identified by the system at the moment of the query—the number of peers (of first, second and/or subsequent degrees) that the originator of a specific query has in common with each matching peer identified by the system and to display, and that arrange/display the results of such searches accordingly.
There is a further need in the art for a method and system that rank and display first the matching peers that have more peers (e.g., of a first or subsequent degrees) in common with the originator of the query, which increases the likelihood that individuals will share friends (peers) and/or other social, professional or other affinities in common.